Baptist university removed from academic probation amid financial struggles
A university affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention has been removed from academic probation by an independent high education accrediting agency.
Hannibal-LaGrange University, which has over 450 undergraduate students and 165-acre campus, announced last week that the Higher Learning Commission has removed a sanction on the Christian academic institution regarding financial health.
HLGU President Robert Matz said the commission's decision was "a testament to the hard work and dedication of our administration, faculty, and staff."
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"Our entire campus community has been deeply committed to putting HLGU on a stable financial foundation that supports our mission of academic excellence and faith-centered learning," stated Matz.
"We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this successful turnaround and look forward to a future of growth and opportunity."
Earlier this month, HLC President Barbara Gellman-Danley sent a letter to Matz stating that the university "is no longer out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation and removed the Institution from Probation and assigned interim monitoring."
The commission officially changed the university's status effective Oct. 31, going from "Accredited – Probation" to "Accredited."
HLGU, founded in 1858, had taken steps to address previous concerns over financial health and accountability, including changes to staffing and governing board duties, Gellman-Danley's letter states.
However, the commission maintained some concerns regarding financial health, noting that "the ongoing impact of the Institution's historical financial challenges will continue."
"The Institution has implemented strategies to improve its financial position, including through reducing its debt to the endowment," wrote Gellman-Danley. "These strategies will have an important impact on addressing the debt, but also means that the endowment will have limited growth for several years."
"The Institution has made progress with respect to systematic and integrated planning and improvement, but there remains much work ahead for it to be sustainable financially."
In November 2022, HLC placed Hannibal-LaGrange on a two-year probation, citing concerns surrounding the university's publicized financial issues and poor board governance.
The decision came months after Rodney Harrison, the university's interim president, publicly acknowledged that HLGU had been financially struggling for some time, reported Muddy River News.
Harrison led an on-campus event in March 2022, telling students and staff that HLGU was facing "imminent disaster" due to financial mismanagement. He confessed that university leaders "have not been always faithful stewards of the resources that God has given to this university," MRN reported.
Matz was elected university president by the board of trustees in October 2022. He previously served as vice president of Academic Administration, dean of the Faculty, and professor of Theology and Preaching at HLGU.
